Miami's summer slowdown claims even more restaurants
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Less than two months after Chef Nando Chang won a James Beard Award as the head chef of Itamae AO, the restaurant announced it was closing on Saturday — the latest in a summer of high-profile restaurant closures.
Why it matters: This year's seasonal slowdown has been marked by a seemingly never-ending stream of social media posts thanking customers for their support and news outlets announcing final services.
Between the lines: Itamae AO's future became unclear in late June after his sister, award-winning chef Valerie Chang, announced she was stepping away from Maty's, the Peruvian restaurant next door.
- Customers accessed Itamae through the adjoining Maty's space.
- In an Instagram post Tuesday night, the intimate, Michelin star restaurant said it wasn't going away for good: "We're excited to find our new home."
The big picture: Just shy of the season's halfway mark, the Miami Herald this month reported that many local chefs and restaurant owners felt this summer was "shaping up to be the worst" one yet, citing "non-existent" foot traffic and a drop in reservations.
- Others blamed the rising cost of food, rent and insurance.
State of plate: The outlet at the time listed nine recent closures, ranging from Michelin-stared restaurants like Maty's to longtime favorites like Miami Beach's Sardinia Italian restaurant, which closed after almost 20 years.
- Since then, a handful of others have shuttered, too: CHICA, which closed after six years; Piegari Italian restaurant, which closed after just one year; and Erba, the award-winning Italian restaurant, which operated in Coral Gables for about two years.
What they're saying: "For a lot of our businesses, most of them being outdoors, heat" is a factor, Emi Guerra, co-founder of Breakwater Hospitality Group, which owns restaurants across South Florida, told Axios.
- Still, a restaurant's location — whether it's in a busy, walkable neighborhood or has a strong local clientele — plus its ability to pivot over the summer to things like events or parties, can also determine how hard it's hit during the summer slowdown, he said.
Meanwhile, while speaking on a podcast in May, Felix Bendersky, founder of F&B Hospitality Leasing, said one of the reasons the summer slowdown is punching harder is because Miami's peak season is "getting less and less."
- While it used to end in June and start up again in September, Bendersky said it is now more likely to end after the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, which was the first weekend in May this year, and restart around Art Basel, which isn't until December.
What's next: Miami Spice, which gives diners a chance to eat from discounted menus and offers a way to support local restaurants during the off-season, begins Friday and runs through the end of September.